If you are mulling buying an electric car to cut on travelling costs and save the planet, consider the factor of geography with new research pointing to regional energy sources and climate greatly affecting emissions and driving range.

An electric car made by Australian engineering students has reached a record speed of 106.9 km per hour (kph) over a distance of 500 km, becoming the fastest car of its type in the world, academic sources reported Tuesday.

The unrelenting bad news has led to questions about the readiness of electric cars and raises fresh doubts about a technology that has around since the late 1890s but still struggling to win over the public.

Auto major Tata Motors on Friday said its wholly-owned European subsidiary, Tata Motors European Technical Centre, has got a loan of 10 million pounds (Rs 78 crore) from the UK government for its Rs 195 crore electric car project.